Only Angels Have Wings
1939 · Movie · NR · 121 min · ★ 7.3 · 93% critics
A traveler arrives in a remote South American port town and gets drawn into the tense world of a struggling air freight outfit. With a crucial mail contract on the line, the hard-driving boss and his crew face dangerous flights through fog and mountains, while personal loyalties and romance complicate life on the ground.
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Details
- Years
- 1939
- Release date
- 1939-05-15
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Critic score
- 93/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (279 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic adventure-drama mixing perilous flights, tough-minded camaraderie, and a restrained romance in a moody setting; Not for you if you dislike old-Hollywood love triangles or fatalistic characters, like in To Have and Have Not.
Pros: tense flying sequences; vivid small-town atmosphere; strong ensemble performances | Cons: romance feels contrived; plot can ramble; some twee dialogue
Themes
- airplane
- pilot
- flyer
- south america
- old flame
- showgirl
- andes mountains
- air freight
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography, Black-and-White · 1940 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Special Effects · 1940 · nominated
Cast & crew
Cary Grant
as Geoff Carter
Jean Arthur
as Bonnie Lee
Thomas Mitchell
as Kid Dabb
Richard Barthelmess
as Bat MacPherson
Rita Hayworth
as Judy MacPherson
Allyn Joslyn
as Les Peters
Sig Ruman
as Dutchy
Victor Kilian
as Sparks
John Carroll
as Gent Shelton
Don 'Red' Barry
as Tex
Directed by Howard Hawks